O Wines

O Wines
Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson

If you’ve ever had a mentor, raise your hand. If you’ve ever had a mentor who sells wine to raise money enough to help put you through the college of your choice, get up, do a dance and thank your lucky stars.

O Wines, the brainchild of Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson, does just that—a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of their “O Wine” goes to assist low-income, high-potential girls from disadvantaged walks of life in pursuing their dreams of higher education. Fittingly, the “O” stands for “opportunity.” Partnering with the College Success Foundation here in Washington, the O Wines Endowment is combined with other such scholarships and awards, allowing those aided by the CSF to attend nearly any school they choose.

The O Wine projected started with a whopping 5,000 cases, which sold out in about ten months. Ambitious, indeed. “Our third vintage, which is in production right now, will be 10,000 cases,” says Lill. Stylistically, the wine is said to resemble a lighter California Chardonnay, rich and buttery with oak overtones. In line with defining a program that creates accessibility, the O Wines retail for just about $12.00. This price point creates an extremely good value for a product that gives a little back. Everyone wins. (Ed. note: We weren’t able to taste the wine before this writing so look for a profile of this wine at our website: www.winomagazine.com.)

The O Wines mentoring program comes into play once a month, when Johanson and Lill meet with each of their candidates to discuss the sometimes more nuanced aspects of adolescent life, things like finances and long-term planning. “We help her stay focused. We’re there watching her, helping her, pulling for her,” says Lill.

And isn’t that just what we are all looking for, some good wine and a person to talk to?